VOA标准英语2009-Sotomayor Senate Hearings Begin July 13

Senate confirmation¹ hearings will begin July 13th for President Barack Obama's Supreme² Court nominee³, Judge Sonia Sotomayor. She must be confirmed by a vote of the full Senate before she can take the place of retiring Justice David Souter. Meanwhile, a longtime Washington insider with experience in confirmation battles has some advice for Judge Sotomayor and the White House.
　
Supreme Court nominee and federal appeals court judge Sonia Sotomayor, 26 May 2009

The announcement that the Sotomayor hearings would begin in mid-July was made by the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Democrat⁴ Patrick Leahy of Vermont.

"She deserves a fair hearing, not trial by attack and assaults upon her character," said Senator Leahy. "And let us proceed to give her that fair hearing without unnecessary delay."

If confirmed, Sotomayor would be the country's first Hispanic Supreme Court justice and would become the second woman justice on the current nine-member court, and only the third woman to serve on the high court in history.

Republicans have promised thorough but fair questioning during the confirmation hearings and are expected to press Judge Sotomayor about her legal and political views.

Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions is the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee and spoke⁵ recently with NBC television.

"And then to determine whether she will be faithful to the law or whether she will allow her personal and political views to influence her decision making," said Senator Sessions.

Sotomayor has continued to meet with senators in Washington despite being hobbled by a broken ankle after a stumble at a New York City airport.

In the meantime, a longtime Washington insider who has assisted in hundreds of presidential confirmations⁶ before the Senate is offering some non-partisan⁷ advice for Sotomayor.

Former U.S. Ambassador Tom Korologos has served several Republican presidents and helped out with Supreme Court nominations⁸ in the administrations of Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan.

Korologos says confirmation battles in the Senate are often politically contentious⁹ because they are among the most important and lasting¹⁰ decisions a president can make.

"This is the biggest single big deal appointment that he has," said Tom Korologos. "And they must win. Boy, if they don't win those things, they've got problems."

Korologos also says that senators pay particular attention to Supreme Court appointments.

"Because it is a lifetime appointment, it [Senate] is a co-equal branch, it is a powerful position and, for most senators, they will tell you it is the most important vote that they will cast as a senator," he said.

Korologos describes himself as a partisan Republican and served as Ambassador to Belgium for former President George W. Bush.

But having gone through numerous confirmation hearings, Korologos offered some non-partisan political advice to Judge Sotomayor as she prepares for her upcoming hearings.

"She must be inspiring and lofty and at the same time say nothing at all," said Korologos.

Korologos says that will be a challenge when Sotomayor is questioned by Republicans about her judicial¹¹ philosophy and political leanings.

"The one thing that the nominee has to be careful of is that this person is going to be a judge, a person who is going to judge issues," he said. "He or she cannot give away what she is going to rule on. She has to be very careful and not telegraph how she is going to rule, more than any other judge can."

Republicans are promising¹² a tough but fair review of Sotomayor's record, but Korologos says senators from the opposition¹³ party need to proceed with a measure of caution in their questioning during the televised hearings.

"They have to be careful of becoming anti-Hispanic, anti-women," he said. "They have got to be very careful and talk about her record."

That view is shared by Jeffrey Rosen, a law professor at George Washington University. Rosen spoke on VOA's Encounter program.

"Her personal story is so compelling, her qualifications on paper are so strong, and the lack of desire to antagonize the important Latino constituency will make Republicans as well as Democrats¹⁴ hesitant to attack her," said Jeffrey Rosen.

President Obama wants Sotomayor confirmed to the high court in time for the beginning of the Supreme Court's next term in October.

1 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

2 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

3 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

4 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 confirmations   

证实( confirmation的名词复数 )； 证据； 确认； （基督教中的）坚信礼

参考例句：

• Never use transitory dialogs as error messages or confirmations. 绝不要用临时对话框作为错误信息框或确认信息框。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Dismissing confirmations thus becomes as routine as issuing them. 因此关闭确认对话框和发起确认对话框一样成为例行公事。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

7 partisan   

adj.党派性的；游击队的；n.游击队员；党徒

参考例句：

• In their anger they forget all the partisan quarrels.愤怒之中，他们忘掉一切党派之争。
• The numerous newly created partisan detachments began working slowly towards that region.许多新建的游击队都开始慢慢地向那里移动。

8 nominations   

n.提名，任命( nomination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nominations are invited for the post of party chairman. 为党主席职位征集候选人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Much coverage surrounded his abortive bids for the 1960,1964, and 1968 Republican Presidential nominations. 许多消息报道都围绕着1960年、1964年和1968年他为争取提名为共和党总统候选人所做努力的失败。 来自辞典例句

9 contentious   

adj.好辩的，善争吵的

参考例句：

• She was really not of the contentious fighting sort.她委实不是好吵好闹的人。
• Since then they have tended to steer clear of contentious issues.从那时起，他们总想方设法避开有争议的问题。

10 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

11 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

12 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

13 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

14 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》